


it's going to get fierce from now on

by April (featherx)



Series: but in the end I will always come back to you [5]
Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-05
Updated: 2017-04-05
Packaged: 2018-10-15 00:03:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,617
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10546612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/featherx/pseuds/April
Summary: Baekhyun and Junmyeon switch houses for a night. It's just that Junmyeon's a little apprehensive about Baekhyun's bed... and his roommate. (Roommates AU)





	

**Author's Note:**

> thanks to C, who suggested this AU! probably different from what you had been thinking of, though.

The infamous Max Robinson is actually a lot less imposing in person than she is in Baekhyun’s endless stories. She is, in fact, not a fire-breathing dragon or a demon with horns and a pointy tail, but she does have fluffed-up hair, a remarkably short height, and even more remarkable eye bags. Junmyeon thinks he’s a little less scared of her now.

That is, until she looks up at him and says, “Hi there,” and he feels himself getting scared all over again. _Jesus Christ,_ he tries to tell himself, _what actually is wrong with you? Get yourself together._

But mostly, he’s really just thinking about that time Baekhyun had told them the legendary story of his roommate having gotten so angry, she had thrown an entire couch across the room and ended up denting the wall. Junmyeon swallows, and discreetly glances around the room. It seems mostly undented, but he’s not willing to let his guard down anyway.

Max just looks sort of confused, now. “Uh, _hello?_ ” She greets again, a little more forcefully.

Junmyeon coughs. “S-Sorry, hi. Uh, it’s nice to meet you. Max Robinson, right? Baekhyun’s roommate?”

“That’s me.” Max hops off her bed, or what Junmyeon is going to assume is her bed, to shake Junmyeon’s hand, all businesslike. “Just until the next summer, though, and hopefully I’ll have scrounged up enough money to get another place where I don’t have to room with someone. Though Baek’s nice.” A pause, where her brow furrows. “Sometimes.”

“I can absolutely agree,” Junmyeon concurs. He relaxes a little when he sees the innocent curve of Max’s lip into a smile. Maybe she isn’t _that_ terrifying. Besides, she’s shorter than him, and he isn’t exactly the tallest guy ever. She couldn’t have _really_ thrown a couch hard enough to dent a wall, right? “I know Baekhyun’s probably already told you, but I’m going to stay here for the night while he’s at my place.”

Max looks bored already, but she’s obviously trying to hide it, which Junmyeon gives her credit for. Sehun is absolutely incapable of doing that. “Yeah, something about a girl? I mean, I’m pretty sure he explained why, but it’s usually about a girl, right?”

Junmyeon thinks back to Baekhyun’s messy, desperate explanation as to why they should switch houses, just for one night, and finds that he honestly can’t remember a single coherent word of it. He does remember having agreed just so Baekhyun would stop yelling, although it hadn’t gotten much better because Baekhyun had then proceeded to break down and cry for half an hour on Junmyeon’s shoes. “Well… I guess so. I’ll try to stay out of your way.”

“Sure, Kim Junmyeon,” Max replies easily, although when she looks at Junmyeon again, there’s a strange little gleam in her eye. “But you don’t have to try too hard. You look like you’re doing fine right now.”

Junmyeon offers her a strained smile, and steadfastly does not think about how the way she says his name gives him goose bumps. It’s probably just because it’s cold, he tells himself, even though it’s a summer night.

When he crawls into Baekhyun’s bed that night, trying to ignore the weird smell from his blanket, Junmyeon can hear Max yawn loudly and slip into her own bed just a few ways away from him. Vaguely, he wonders if Baekhyun ever had a _thing_ with her – like a friends with benefits sort of _thing_ , except it’s probably more along the lines of roommates with benefits, seeing as how Baekhyun rarely ever talks about her like she’s an actual friend of his.

And if they _did_ have a thing, which isn’t exactly the most surprising thing ever, Junmyeon wonders if they ever did something on this very bed – and suddenly, he _really_ doesn’t want to go to sleep on this thing now. He sits up quietly, but the rustling blankets seem to catch Max’s attention anyway. She doesn’t say anything, but Junmyeon can feel those eyes on him as he tries to think of a better way to spend the night.

“You forget to take medicine or something?” Max asks, after a short while of Junmyeon sort of just staring into nothing.

Junmyeon sighs. “Nothing like that. Sorry if I disturbed, I just – don’t exactly like the idea of sleeping in Baek’s bed.”

“I know. All kinds of nasty things.”

“Nasty – what?” Junmyeon practically squeaks. He can’t even muster the energy to be embarrassed at the way his voice had gone a bit high.

Max laughs. For some reason, it makes her sound dangerous, although maybe that’s because Junmyeon can’t really see her in the dark, only the vague outline of her bed. “Oh, yeah. You don’t wanna know what’s been on that old thing. Let me list it down for you – lotta girls _and_ guys, that’s for sure…”

Junmyeon steps right off the bed and stands there in his pajamas, feeling highly disturbed. “You’re kidding, right?”

Another laugh, this one louder. “Yeah, but I’m not Baek, I wouldn’t actually know what goes on in his bed. I sleep like a rock, he could be blasting heavy metal and I wouldn’t wake up.” Max shifts a little, if the sound of the blankets is any indication. “What’s the matter, Kim Junmyeon? Do you wanna sleep with me now or something?”

“No, thank you,” Junmyeon replies quickly. That sounds even worse than Baekhyun’s bed. Not because he doesn’t like Max – she seems nice, if a little unpredictable – but because she’s a girl, and they barely even know each other, and that bed does not look particularly spacious. Also, Baekhyun’s mentioned Max kicks in her sleep and mutters weird things. Junmyeon would much rather not be a victim of that, but he also doesn’t exactly like the thought of sleeping in Baekhyun’s bed any more than he had a while ago.

Max goes quiet for a moment, before saying, voice a little softer, “Chill, dude, it’s probably clean. I don’t think Baek’s that mean to make you sleep on dirty bed sheets and blankets. He’s a clean guy, too, but you probably know that.” She sits up, yawns again. “Great, now you’ve got me all awake. Can I keep you company before you sleep?”

“Honestly, I don’t think I’m all that sleepy, either,” Junmyeon mumbles, although he does feel himself getting a little tired. If anything, though, it’s probably because talking to Max is tiring enough in itself, in the least offensive way possible.

“Huh. Cool.” A short pause. “Look, if we’re not gonna do anything, are you at least gonna sit down on either Baek’s bed or the floor? Because you don’t look all comfy just standing there anyway.”

Junmyeon, after a quick contemplation, takes a seat on the bed. He can handle sitting down, at least. As for the floor, he has no idea what’s been spilled on it by past owners of the dorm, so he can trust Baekhyun’s bed for a little while. “Did you really throw a couch across the room before, by the way?” He asks, before he can reel the question back in.

There’s a short silence where Max seems taken aback, and Junmyeon is already hurrying to correct himself, but he’s cut off with a laugh. “Oh, so Baekhyun told you about that?”

“You actually did?” Junmyeon asks, trying not to squeak again. He wants to think he succeeds, he really does, but he’s finding it a bit hard to believe in himself, if he’s being honest.

“Well, I threw a couch, but not across the room,” Max says thoughtfully, as if she’s talking about the weather report for tomorrow. “It actually landed on my foot and it hurt so bad that Baek had to call 911 and scream really loud to the operator. I’m okay, though.” Max looks down at her feet, or at least Junmyeon thinks she does. “But I did trip during dance rehearsals the next day. Multiple times. And the week after that, actually.”

“Oh,” Junmyeon says. “So you didn’t dent the wall, or anything?”

“I sure wish I did. That sounds cool,” Max replies. Junmyeon can hear the smile in her voice rather than see it on her face, and for some reason, he finds that he actually prefers it that way. “What about you? Anything you wanna tell your friend’s roommate on this really weird night?”

“I can’t think of anything right now, but I’ll get back to you on that when I do,” Junmyeon says, not missing a beat. Max laughs, a loud, full-body one, and Junmyeon has no idea why. It’s not like his joke had been that funny, nor had it really been much of a joke at all.

“You’re a cool guy, Kim Junmyeon.”

“Just Junmyeon is fine.”

“Oh, really? We’ve reached that point already?” Max shifts. Her eyes glint in the moonlight cutting through the thin window curtains, illuminating half of her face. Junmyeon would say she looks beautiful, but maybe that’s overstepping his boundaries a little bit. “Well, don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t mind.” She grins. “For some reason, I’m getting the feeling you’re sort of a way better roommate than Baek makes.”

“Honestly,” Junmyeon says, “it’s really not hard to be a better roommate than Baekhyun.”

Junmyeon has no idea what time it is when he goes to sleep, but when he wakes up the next morning, Max is already awake, eating some eggs with her hair still disheveled and in her pajamas. Strangely enough, the whole situation feels completely normal – including the part where Max sighs and says, “Hey, Junmyeon, you slept on the bed after all. I guess it wasn’t that nasty, then.”


End file.
